What a weekend! TIFF is going on here in the city (Toronto International Film Festival), so Toronto is buzzing with stars and stargazers alike. It was mine and D’s 4-year wedding anniversary on Friday, so we went to one of our favourite restaurants in the city, Harbour sixty. We were out of the central TIFF hub, so didn’t expect to see any celebs – didn’t even think about it. But, low and behold, we ended up sitting one table away from Kate Hudson, which was pretty exciting, considering I love, love, love her. We didn’t meet her or anything, but we did share a pretty intimate dining experience considering it was our table, hers, and two others on the patio. So basically, if someone were to ask Kate if the restaurant was busy, she’d say “Nah, just us, and a few other tables”. And you know what? We were one of those tables.

So that kinda counts, right?

My new BFF, Kate Hudson (photo from thestar.com)

And the food…oh the food. We had this amazing seafood tower as our app – fresh lobster, king crab legs, west and east coast oysters, Maryland crab salad, and gargantuan shrimp – oh my! D had the black cod and I had the filet mignon, with truffled Mac n’ Cheese and lobster brie mashed potatoes (are you salivating yet?). I wish I had photos to show you, but I was too busy contemplating my newfound friendship with Kate.

The rest of the weekend was pretty awesome too. Went to the Spoke club on Saturday night for a TIFF event, and then to Aberfoyle Antique market again on Sunday without Nate – and were actually able to score some awesome finds.

So anyway, the point of my weekend story is that today, I was far too tired to cook so we got takeout (LAZY!) So, tonight’s blog is gonna be an easy, quick side dish that will be a great go-to for a plethora of different entrees. It doesn’t get any more simple than this, friends. Just keep a bag of mini potatoes in the fridge (helps the mini ones last longer), and in no time, you’ll have a delicious side of crispy, flavourful ‘taters.

Easy Herbed Roasted Baby Potatoes

3 pounds baby/new potatoes, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
Your favourite herbs and spices, to taste (I used paprika, cayenne pepper and dried basil)

Heat oven to 450 degrees, and place a rack at the lowest position. In a bowl or ziplock, toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper, garlic, and herbs and spices. Arrange, cut side down, on a large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast for 25 minutes, then move to a higher rack and broil for 3-5 minutes (watch them closely so they don’t burn – you want them golden brown and crispy). Et voila! The perfect side to any dish.

Happy eating!

-Monica